What do you think?
Rate this book
Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde #1
Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde: The Selfish Giant/The Star Child
Wilde's tales are adapted into a comic book format and use fairy tale elements and Christian symbolism.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
About the author
P. Craig Russell
507 books275 followersPhilip Craig Russell was the first mainstream comic book creator to come out as openly gay. Since 1972 his work has won multiple Kirby, Harvey, and Eisner Awards, and Cartoon Crossroads Columbus presented him the Master Cartoonist Award in 2019.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
December 7, 2015
P. Craig Russell never seems to disappoint when delivering a charming tale with a dark twist. These are no exception. While there is an underlying subtext to The Selfish Giant which bothers me, the over all meaning and moral of the story is wonderful. The other tale in this all to brief collection is The Star Child which is probably one of my favorites and Russell does a fantastic job adapting it from Oscar Wilde's story. These two stories are ostensibly for children, but adults can get a lot out of them as well. And the book, at least the edition I have, is perfect for reading to a child sitting on your lap - which is, of course, how all fairy tales should be read.
February 26, 2017
Two beautifully illustrated stories by Russell. I'm not familiar with the original Wilde stories, but it appears these are faithful adaptions with lots of the original text left in tact (my largest complaint is Russell left too much text in, some of which is redundant when juxtaposed with the illustrations; although I understand that Russell would have a difficult time cutting out Wilde's nice prose work.)
The longer story is a moral tale about humility and pity, or more succinctly, empathy. A beautiful boy who was lovingly adopted by a selfless family grows into an ignorant and scornful young man. He learns the errors of his ways, of course, but the tale is lovely and emotional.
The longer story is a moral tale about humility and pity, or more succinctly, empathy. A beautiful boy who was lovingly adopted by a selfless family grows into an ignorant and scornful young man. He learns the errors of his ways, of course, but the tale is lovely and emotional.
October 20, 2024
maybe i'm not that into oscar wilde's fairy tales?
I didn't expect the religious tones of these stories, p. craig russell's art was familiar and welcome after seeing his art in the sandman, but the stories themselves were okay to me.
I didn't expect the religious tones of these stories, p. craig russell's art was familiar and welcome after seeing his art in the sandman, but the stories themselves were okay to me.
June 21, 2014
I felt so lucky when I found this at a comic book store in Phoenix. I had no idea that Oscar Wilde wrote fairy tales.
Russell beautifully illustrated two complex, moral tales. In The Selfish Giant, Wilde shows how selfishness can lead to a winter in the soul. Lots of Christian influence in this one.
In The Star Child, Wilde warns children of the consequences of vanity and cruelty. I really enjoyed this one, even with the ominous ending.
I'd like to collect this whole series.
Russell beautifully illustrated two complex, moral tales. In The Selfish Giant, Wilde shows how selfishness can lead to a winter in the soul. Lots of Christian influence in this one.
In The Star Child, Wilde warns children of the consequences of vanity and cruelty. I really enjoyed this one, even with the ominous ending.
I'd like to collect this whole series.
July 30, 2017
Brought it to My nephew and fell in love with it😍
October 4, 2023
Love fairy tales so of course I enjoyed this. There are two of Oscar Wilde’s fairy tales adapted here. The Selfish Giant and the Starchild. I’ve only read the former before so the Starchild I was comepltey unfamiliar with.
I liked the art. 4.5/5 stars for the art. The art in the selfish giant bothered me cuz the kids were wearing like t shirts and shorts like what time period is this supposed to be. But other than that I liked looking at the art, checked all the boxes for good comic art to me.
I do think the comic was too wordy, something that I’ve noticed happens in comic book adaptions. In a comic I feel like less words and narration is better. It feels more like a picture book than a comic.
I’d say my favorite story is the Starchild like holy shit I need to read the original story. That was fucking crazy.
Selfish giant is a classic, can’t go wrong with it. I think since I already liked the story I like seeing in comic form cuz it’s a pretty faithful adaptation.
It’s hard to review comic adaptations like this. It really comes down to for me if I liked the art and felt it told the story well. It checks those boxes but it wasn’t anything too crazy, it was just a well drawn adaption of these classics.
If you’ve never read these stories or love them I’d reccomend this. It’s pretty short too defiantly worth a read if you like fairy tales.
I liked the art. 4.5/5 stars for the art. The art in the selfish giant bothered me cuz the kids were wearing like t shirts and shorts like what time period is this supposed to be. But other than that I liked looking at the art, checked all the boxes for good comic art to me.
I do think the comic was too wordy, something that I’ve noticed happens in comic book adaptions. In a comic I feel like less words and narration is better. It feels more like a picture book than a comic.
I’d say my favorite story is the Starchild like holy shit I need to read the original story. That was fucking crazy.
Selfish giant is a classic, can’t go wrong with it. I think since I already liked the story I like seeing in comic form cuz it’s a pretty faithful adaptation.
It’s hard to review comic adaptations like this. It really comes down to for me if I liked the art and felt it told the story well. It checks those boxes but it wasn’t anything too crazy, it was just a well drawn adaption of these classics.
If you’ve never read these stories or love them I’d reccomend this. It’s pretty short too defiantly worth a read if you like fairy tales.
November 19, 2018
The Selfish Giant in particular is a very moving tale, and this version swept me away, so I quite forget where I was at the time (I was on a ferry).
One of Oscar Wilde's 9 (apparently) fairy tales (or perhaps ferry tales).
Lovely artwork.
I remember being in a play of the story when I was at Primary School.
My sister gave me a compendium of his short stories too.
So this was close to my heart already.
One of Oscar Wilde's 9 (apparently) fairy tales (or perhaps ferry tales).
Lovely artwork.
I remember being in a play of the story when I was at Primary School.
My sister gave me a compendium of his short stories too.
So this was close to my heart already.
December 11, 2025
Borrowed a digital copy on Libby through my local library; 2 stars.
I enjoyed the illustrations, and the writing was good; the morals and cruelty in the stories are to be expected of the genre, but I wasn't expecting the religious themes and didn't super love being caught off guard by that. It is pretty fun to mentally translate the dialogue into more modern speech though, like the main character of Star Child basically saying "You can't tell me what to do, you're not my dad!!!"
I enjoyed the illustrations, and the writing was good; the morals and cruelty in the stories are to be expected of the genre, but I wasn't expecting the religious themes and didn't super love being caught off guard by that. It is pretty fun to mentally translate the dialogue into more modern speech though, like the main character of Star Child basically saying "You can't tell me what to do, you're not my dad!!!"
October 17, 2017
Regulares las ilustraciones. Me sorprendió negativamente encontrar contenido religioso en el libro. En serio. Oscar Wilde, religioso?
Para ser justa tengo que decir también que la última página del libro me encantó.
Para ser justa tengo que decir también que la última página del libro me encantó.
Want to Read
June 21, 2019Listed as other books published by the same company in Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm by David Wenzel
Read
September 10, 2019A little bit scary for younger children
March 27, 2020
A great couple of classic fairy tales, wonderfully illustrated.
March 6, 2021
Continuing with Irish authors I've neglected, it's time for some Oscsr Wilde. Beautiful artwork complements these two stories quite well.
July 23, 2022
both of these storie are about redemption. I miss this kind of children's stories with moral lessons.
December 31, 2022
Weird combo of religious tales and comic illustrations which were grotesque.
May 7, 2023
First Hoopla read! Love that all these PCR HTF books are on Hoopla! Fairy tales with signature PCR dark twist.
October 4, 2023
Two beautifully illustrated stories that are brought down by the text of the stories that they are adapting.
January 3, 2024
I choked a little when the giant, now reformed, finds the child now wounded and guides him to paradise.
April 30, 2025
I love Oscar Wilde, but these were unexpectedly religious. Not really my cup of tea. The illustrations didn’t blow me away either.
May 14, 2026
Made me cry
August 3, 2012
"The Selfish Giant"
When a curmudgeonly giant walls off his lovely garden so the neighborhood children mightn't enjoy it, he incurs Spring's disdain and the dire consequences of life without seasonal renewal. Having seen the error of his ways, the giant redeems himself by opening both his heart and his earthly paradise to the children and gains his eternal reward. Russell employs a cartoon style with a muted color pallet to not only complement Wilde's tale with illustrations but also extend its tale with subtle symbolism. The color choices reflect not only the colors of the seasons but the spiritual and emotional qualities that are often associated with each season such as punishment, hope, rebirth, and redemption. This work is a masterful use of archetypes and symbolism.
"The Star Child"
The Star Child, the adopted son of a poor woodcutter, is the beneficiary of charity and kindness. Ironically, his better nature is sullied by a sense of entitlement that stems from a vain love of his own good looks. Upon meeting an old tattered mendicant who claims to be his mother, he casts her aside and withholds his love. Consequently, he is punished by the powers that be, stripped of the attractiveness of which he is so proud, and set upon the path to redemption. Henceforth, the Star Child wanders the earth seeking his mother and her forgiveness until he unknowingly happens upon his birthplace and is forced to perform a series of Herculean labors. Accomplishing these tasks while learning the true meaning of self-sacrifice, charity, and kindness earns the Star Child the forgiveness that he seeks and solves the mystery of his origin. Throughout the tale, Russell's charicatural style simultaneously reinforces the story's elements of fantasy while bolstering the audience's suspension of disbelief as the Star Child is cloaked in a heinous visage that reflects the inner blackness of his heart until he comes to know humility.
Russell's rendering of these tales would make an excellent introduction to Fairy Tales as a genre or to the work of Oscar Wilde. Similarly, they are an excellent exemplar of the hero cycle as explained by Peter R. Stillman in Introduction to Myth.
When a curmudgeonly giant walls off his lovely garden so the neighborhood children mightn't enjoy it, he incurs Spring's disdain and the dire consequences of life without seasonal renewal. Having seen the error of his ways, the giant redeems himself by opening both his heart and his earthly paradise to the children and gains his eternal reward. Russell employs a cartoon style with a muted color pallet to not only complement Wilde's tale with illustrations but also extend its tale with subtle symbolism. The color choices reflect not only the colors of the seasons but the spiritual and emotional qualities that are often associated with each season such as punishment, hope, rebirth, and redemption. This work is a masterful use of archetypes and symbolism.
"The Star Child"
The Star Child, the adopted son of a poor woodcutter, is the beneficiary of charity and kindness. Ironically, his better nature is sullied by a sense of entitlement that stems from a vain love of his own good looks. Upon meeting an old tattered mendicant who claims to be his mother, he casts her aside and withholds his love. Consequently, he is punished by the powers that be, stripped of the attractiveness of which he is so proud, and set upon the path to redemption. Henceforth, the Star Child wanders the earth seeking his mother and her forgiveness until he unknowingly happens upon his birthplace and is forced to perform a series of Herculean labors. Accomplishing these tasks while learning the true meaning of self-sacrifice, charity, and kindness earns the Star Child the forgiveness that he seeks and solves the mystery of his origin. Throughout the tale, Russell's charicatural style simultaneously reinforces the story's elements of fantasy while bolstering the audience's suspension of disbelief as the Star Child is cloaked in a heinous visage that reflects the inner blackness of his heart until he comes to know humility.
Russell's rendering of these tales would make an excellent introduction to Fairy Tales as a genre or to the work of Oscar Wilde. Similarly, they are an excellent exemplar of the hero cycle as explained by Peter R. Stillman in Introduction to Myth.
April 25, 2010
Awards and Recognitions: Eisner Award for Best Artist – 1993
The first of four volumes adapting the modern fairy tales of Oscar Wilde to graphic novel format, this volume contains adaptations of two of Oscar Wilde’s fairy tales: “The Selfish Giant” and “The Star Child.” Using much of Oscar Wilde’s original text, these two stories translate seamlessly into comic format. Russell’s bright illustrations, a cross between realistic and cartoon-style, are dramatic and expressive, really bringing the stories to life. “The Selfish Giant” is the story of how a selfish giant’s heart melts and how he learns to bring spring back into his garden. “The Star Child” is the story of a baby that fell from the sky, wrapped in a cloak of gold tissue with stars on it, who grows up to become a beautiful but cruel young man. It’s the story of how that cruel young man learns there is more to life than beauty when he is transformed into an ugly monster that is treated with the same cruelty with which he used to treat others. The original version of “The Selfish Giant” was published in 1888, and “The Star Child” was originally published in 1892.
The first of four volumes adapting the modern fairy tales of Oscar Wilde to graphic novel format, this volume contains adaptations of two of Oscar Wilde’s fairy tales: “The Selfish Giant” and “The Star Child.” Using much of Oscar Wilde’s original text, these two stories translate seamlessly into comic format. Russell’s bright illustrations, a cross between realistic and cartoon-style, are dramatic and expressive, really bringing the stories to life. “The Selfish Giant” is the story of how a selfish giant’s heart melts and how he learns to bring spring back into his garden. “The Star Child” is the story of a baby that fell from the sky, wrapped in a cloak of gold tissue with stars on it, who grows up to become a beautiful but cruel young man. It’s the story of how that cruel young man learns there is more to life than beauty when he is transformed into an ugly monster that is treated with the same cruelty with which he used to treat others. The original version of “The Selfish Giant” was published in 1888, and “The Star Child” was originally published in 1892.
October 9, 2010
I didn’t even know Oscar Wilde wrote fairly tales until my kid started picking these books up from the library. There’s a whole series of them, and this volume is my favorite, perhaps because they present such strong, positive, clearly Christian messages. I thought the language might be too Shakespearian for a six-year-old, but the flowery vocabulary of the tales didn’t seem to prevent her from obtaining a basic understanding of what was going on or from absorbing the central messages, and the pictures kept her interested. I usually hate reading coming books (excuse me, “graphic novels”), but these have far more narration than dialogue and are therefore easier for read aloud than I anticipated. The stories are well written and the illustrations are good. I don’t know how closely these books stick to the original text, not having read it, but they certainly do not come across as the least bit dumbed-down.
June 15, 2010
I think I bought these books when they came out (as part of my Russell fandom), read them once (maybe) and onto the shelf they went. Now my three-year-old daughter's discovered them and LOVES them!
In this volume are a pair of the less-cynical of Wilde's fairy tales from this series. Both are in a more classic mold of fairy story, the first about an angry, selfish giant who has an encounter with a most unlikely guest, and the second about a changeling with the typically remarkable birthright. And of course the art is typically stellar Russell work.
I'm sure it's been said enough already, but bears saying again: the strength of these volumes is not only in the beautiful artwork, but in their fidelity to the source material, an unfortunate rarity in adaptations.
In this volume are a pair of the less-cynical of Wilde's fairy tales from this series. Both are in a more classic mold of fairy story, the first about an angry, selfish giant who has an encounter with a most unlikely guest, and the second about a changeling with the typically remarkable birthright. And of course the art is typically stellar Russell work.
I'm sure it's been said enough already, but bears saying again: the strength of these volumes is not only in the beautiful artwork, but in their fidelity to the source material, an unfortunate rarity in adaptations.
May 22, 2009
I'd never read any Oscar Wilde fairy tales, and I was surprised at the religious message in the first and how strong the morals were presented all around. I found the stories as delightful as pretty much everyone in the universe does. I could hardly believe how easily and well they had been converted to the comic format, though. Glad I checked it out of the library.
March 31, 2016
I'm not a big fan of graphic novels, and this one I did not really enjoy. for a graphic novel there were too many words that were not needed, the pictures told a lot of the story and there was just alot of unnecessary words in the book also. I chose to read this because i wanted to read a different kind of graphic novel besides the usual action super hero stuff
April 25, 2012
Gets me thinking about how evil people can still atone and learn from the harm that they cause others. The ending has a bitter irony to it. Beautifully written.
May 17, 2012
Who doesn't love P. Craig Russell? What a magnificent illustrator!
August 19, 2013
I just realized that Oscar Wilde was obsessed with Jesus.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews